New Films in Production, v.2

[senseabove]

Not quite "in production," but Hansen-Løve is working on the script of her next film, which will be a period piece set in the UK.

[Finch]

Allowing for the caveat that the source is Jordan Ruimy, The Exorcist Believer had a pretty poor test screening in NYC and a podcast alleges that the shoot was a troubled production: something about issues with 90 year old Ellen Burstyn on set (Burstyn only accepted the role by her own admission after they agreed to financially support an actors' scholarship that she was passionate about). Green and Blum already botched all three of their Halloween entries and the plot description for this one sounds terrible: you get not just one but two possessions. This sort of doubling down screams of desperation. I guess if they spent this much money on the rights ($200m? EDIT: holy shit, it was actually double that!), they're stuck now, and so, if Believer is a disaster, I think giving stewardship of the additional sequels to someone like Mike Flanagan or Guillermo Del Toro to write as well as direct would be a sensible course correction. Again though, I'd much rather Blum give money to Christopher Landon to do his thing but I wonder if things have soured a little between the two after Landon complained about the lack of support for Freaky compared to the rollout Green's second and third films got.

[therewillbeblus]

David Mamet to direct and co-write a JFK assassination drama centering around the purported role of the mob in the event

Being launched for the Cannes market with some big names attached, including Al Pacino, Viggo Mortensen, Shia LaBeouf, John Travolta, Courtney Love, and Rebecca Pidgeon of course

[beamish14]

David Mamet to direct and co-write a JFK assassination drama centering around the purported role of the mob in the event

Being launched for the Cannes market with some big names attached, including Al Pacino, Viggo Mortensen, Shia LaBeouf, John Travolta, Courtney Love, and Rebecca Pidgeon of course

I’m amusing that Vancouver might be used to double for Chicago or Dallas, which is lunacy

[hearthesilence]

I was in Chicago when they were shooting Transformers (whichever one has Wahlberg) and it was crazy how different parts of the city were being dressed as not only different cities but different countries. To be fair, I doubt anyone is really a stickler for geographical authenticity when they're watching a garbage heap of a movie.

[Mr Sausage]

I once walked down the main street of my borough and was caught up, suddenly, part way down the road, when I noticed that not only had all the shops and restaurants gotten new signage and changed their names, but suddenly everything went from French to English. I was baffled and disoriented for a moment before I realized they must've been shooting a film. My city seems to double for America quite a bit.

[beamish14]

I once walked down the main street of my borough and was caught up, suddenly, part way down the road, when I noticed that not only had all the shops and restaurants gotten new signage and changed their names, but suddenly everything went from French to English. I was baffled and disoriented for a moment before I realized they must've been shooting a film. My city seems to double for America quite a bit.

Toronto can, if you really squint your eyes, double for some American cities, but Vancouver is so distinctive in terms of its architecture and harbourfront views that it very seldom works. I just saw Jackie Chan’s Rumble in the Bronx recently for the first time in years, and it’s even more hilariously obvious that we’re not seeing anything shot within NYC (it doesn’t detract my my immense enjoyment of the film, though)

This reminds me of scenes from Nolan’s Batman films. In his quest for “verisimilitude” of some sort, they feature a lot of location shooting. But it’s often an incongruous mixture of Los Angeles, Pittsburgh, NYC, and other places, with the city clearly changing from shot to shot

[therewillbeblus]

Toronto can, if you really squint your eyes, double for some American cities

Don't squint too hard, or you'll notice it's way too clean to be an American city!

[hearthesilence]

I'm not the biggest fan of The Dark Knight, but I have to admit it was pretty f-ing cool when they were shooting nearly all of it in Chicago proper. All my classmates in the downtown area were more or less on the same block as some of the major set pieces, and it was cool walking to the downtown classrooms in the summer and seeing the banks and other buildings changed to "Gotham Trade Center" or whatever. I knew one person who worked in the IBM Building and saw the Batmobile parked outside for a while. Hilariously, they got a memo saying not to panic if they see what appears to be a dead body swinging around outside.

When the movie came out, I went to see it at Navy Pier with two others who had just graduated, and it was quite a trip driving through some of the same chase locations on our way home.

[Mr Sausage]

I vividly remember leaving John Wick 2, walking through the Place des Arts tunnel, and realizing in a surreal moment that I’d just seen a fight happen there on screen.

[tenia]

On the other hand, World War Z always looked like a garbage mess of a movie, and it absolutely didn't help that Glasgow's St George Square was so visible in the opening moments of a movie supposedly taking place in Philadelphia.

[ianthemovie]

According to an interview with Eric Kohn while at Cannes, Todd Haynes' upcoming projects include a re-teaming with Kate Winslet for HBO, and a sexually explicit gay romance set in 1930s L.A., starring Joaquin Phoenix and co-written with Jon Raymond.

(Not sure if this has been posted elsewhere already.)

[Matt]

Sure, Todd (or actually Joaquin, who he’s quoting). And you have a distributor already signed on who supports you in this, right?

[yoloswegmaster]

Netflix is the home for the new Safdies/Sandler film. It's also said to likely be set in the world of "high-end card collecting".

Looks like Josh Safdie is going to be the directing this without his brother.

[therewillbeblus]

Makes sense since Benny is so busy acting. I don't blame him for prioritizing taking jobs working with his idols, but hopefully Josh is able to achieve the same tonal confidence solo

[The Elegant Dandy Fop]

I believe I spoke about it when the film was new, but The Pleasure of Being Robbed shows that Josh Safdie has full confidence and talent to work on his own. It’s very different than the high anxiety works of the last two films, but is still onenof my favorite debut works of the last two decades. I sort of expected this seeing at Benny Safdie hasn’t stopped working and has his Nathan Fielder show on the way.

[The Narrator Returns]

Agreed on Pleasure of Being Robbed, which also makes a good case for Josh being an even better actor than his brother, not that I'd want him to get sidelined making that his day job too.

[Finch]

Robert Eggers' Nosferatu remake has wrapped filming. I'm open-minded. I like both Murnau and Herzog films though I do think neither film is among their best works respectively.

[Matt]

Much less interested in this once Robert Pattinson dropped out, but I’m sure it will at least look and sound great

[Swift]

Winding Refn to adapt Enid Blyton's Famous Five books for a three part series for the BBC

[colinr0380]

Winding Refn to adapt Enid Blyton's Famous Five books for a three part series for the BBC

I do usually amuse myself by imagining Malory Towers as a period-set version of The Neon Demon, so its not too much of a stretch. As long as they keep the 'returning from an adventure to a table spread with a giant feast' scene at the end of any Famous Five adaptation, it will be fine.

[therewillbeblus]

This news slipped by me, but Trey Edward Shults' next film will be co-written, co-scored by, and starring The Weeknd, based on an original idea of his. A lot of great talent is involved, including Jenna Ortega and Barry Keoghan, and Blonde DP Chayse Irvin, but if The Idol is any indication of how Weeknd can soil the talent around him, I'm cautiously pessimistic.

Funnily enough, Shults' last feature was the most Sam Levinson-like project that Sam Levinson hasn't been involved in. I wish Weeknd was more into Adam McKay or something.. now that's a collab I'd love to see - Who knows, maybe two tonally-off, messy, hollow, 'look at me'-desperate artists would make a right

[Saturnome]

Not quite sure where to put this, Xavier Dolan is confirming his retirement from directing films at 34.

[thirtyframesasecond]

I'll still maintain that his first five films were excellent, but it was a precipitous decline thereafter.

[yoloswegmaster]

Joaquin Phoenix will reteam with wife Rooney Mara and Lynne Ramsay for her next film, Polaris

Lynne Ramsay confirms that this has finished filming and is from an original screenplay.